Link-mesh machine.



H. W. 81% U, G. SMITH LINK MESH MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1911 1 Patented mm]. m; 1913.

W WW 11. W. & 0, G. SMITH. LINK MESH MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1911. Patented N017. H, 1913.

7 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

H. W (i: U. G. SMITH.

LINK MESH MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONFILED MAY 13, 1911.

W R Mme PA a Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. W. 6; G. Ur. bMITH.

LINK MESH MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13,1911.

Patented Nov; 11, 1913.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 4. Q

Elma/whom- Wm Z LINK MESH 'MAGHINB.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 13, 1911 Patented NW 15,1913.

7 SHBETS-SHEET 5.

H. W. 62 G. G. SMITH.

LINK MESH MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13,1911.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

HARRY "W. SMITH AND CHARLES Gt. QMI lll-I, fill lif-RYWTUGKET, REESE 3EISLAND, Ad SIGNORS T0 NICKERSON ART METAL CQMPIL'NE, OI PAW'IUCKET,l'tHODE IsLAND,

ACQJRPORATIQN 03F RHODIE IiiLANlil.

LINKJVIEfiH maintains;

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that We, HARRY- W, SMITH and Charters G. 'SB'HTH, citizensof the llnited States residing at the city of Pawtuckct,- in the countyof Providence and State of lthode island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Linklti-esh- Machines, of which the following isa specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawing.

This invention relates to machines for automaticall-y making wire fabricof the type usually known as ring mesh and consisting of a multiplicityof links each of which is interenga ed with a plurality of other links-One'bf the objects of the present invention isto provide a machine ofthis character which will enable the fabric to be produced in flat or.sheet form havingall of its trans- :verse rows of'links at a right-angleto the length ofthe sheet or strip of fabric.

' Another object of the invention is to pro ,vi de such a' machinecapable of producing the fabric in different widths.

Another object is to provide such a machine which not only automaticallyperforms its function but may be operated by hand to locally form andconnect either one or a greater number of links for either makingrepairs or filling in spaces if such should be left due to the failureof any part of the machine or defects in the wire employed.

With these and other objects in wow, the v ithe'fabric as clearlylllustrated in Fig. 4.

invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as Will bemore fully described and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

in the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 Fig. 2 represents a sectionchiefly on line 29. of Fig. 1-. Fig. 3 represents a section chiefly onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1. represents a section on line eti of Fig-g. 1 ona larger scale. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5--5 of Fig". 1, ona specification ofhettersl atent. v

Application filed nay-1a, la r.

erial No. ceases.

nism at left ofFig. 7. Fig. is a perspectiveview of the slide forcontrolling the pawls of the carriage feed. front elevation of thewire/feed cam. Fig. 11 represents a section on line 11-1l of Fig. Fig.12 represents a detail section on line 12 12 of Fig. 5. Figs. 13, 14.,and 1a 1 are views similar to Fig. 12 but illustrating ithc parts indifferent positions which they Q occupy during the operation of themachinev iFig. 16 is a perspective view of the pusher ion the frontformer. Figs. 17,18, and 19 2 represent Vertical sections through aportion ;of the fabric being made, and illustrating thei operation ofthe link tipping devices. 20 is an elevation from the left of Fig. 19.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in allof the views.

provided with suitable standards having jou-rnaled bearings 31 for fourshafts 32,33,

fast and loose pulleys 36, 37 the fast pulley having a crank or handle38 to enable the Emachine to be operated by hand. The four shafts aregeared together by bevel. pinions j 39 so that all rotate in unison. Thebed 30 I also supports a slide 40 on which is mounted rthe carriage base41 having brackets 42 for the shaft 43 of the work feeding pin roll454C. Said roll may be an'integral portion of the shaft, or a sleeverigidly secured thereto. The pins areall spaced to engage links ofSuitably supported aboveand somewhat to 5 the rear of the pin roll is abox 45 in Whichthe roll of completed fabric may be carried- Tl his boxis merely a convenience and may a plau View of the machine omitting thew be replaced by any other suitable mechanism .nrfers pport for the rollof completed work and omitting. some of the smaller details ofconstruction.

or device for receiving the work after it leaves the pin-roll. l/Vit-hsuch a hoxtfi' in use, the operator simply occasionally takes up theslack of the fabric behind the roll 44': by revolving the roll of fabricin the box to lwhich comprises a slide 49 (see Fig.

Fig. 10 is a detail Patented. Wow. irjhilt td.

The main bed or table 30 of the machine is 34 and The shaft 32 isprovided with mounted in suitable-ways so that it can becomprising" apresser 50. Springs 51 mounted in recesses of the said slideand.pressertend to normally separate them so as to release the wirewhich lies in grooves formed in the opposing faces of said slide andpresser. Of course the slide and presser are so connected that they canhave no relative lateral movement. A pin 52 rising from the prcsser isengaged by the slotted or forked end of a lever 53 pivoted at 54 to theupper end of a rocking post 55, said post being pivotally connected at56 to a fixed support. This mounting of the lever 53 is such that theend thereof which actuates the feed device is moved in a fourmotion pathby cams acting upon a stud 57 at the outer end of said lever. Referringto Figs. 4 and 10, it will be seen that a cam 58carried by a hub 59secured to shaft 84 is adapted to act upon the side of stud 57 so as tooscillate the lever 53 on its pivot 54, a spring 61 being employed toactuate said lever in the opposite direction. The hub 59 has also aperipheral cam '60 which acts upon the tip or lower end of the stud 57so as to oscillate-the lever 53 and its supporting post 54 on the axisof pivot 56. The two cams 58 and 60, as will now be understood, actuatethe lever 53 so that its forked or slotted end will have fournotionsimparted to it so as to first force the presser 5O downward to clamp thewire, then shift said presser and the said slide 49 laterally to feedthe wire, the presser being then released and the lever returning forthe next feed operation. By providing an adjustable stop 62 at one sideof lever 53, as indicated in Fig. l, the length of feed of the wiremaybe varied.

From the feed device the wire passes through a bushing 63, see Figs. 5and 12 to 15 inclusive, said bushing being supported in one of the walls65 of a block 64 rigidly supported on the bed of the machine. Said blockis recessed in its upper portion as best shown in Fig. 11 so as to formtwo walls 65 and 66, a portion of the latter serving as an abutmentagainst which the end ofthe wire that is fed may be pushed by the feeddevice. A cutter lever 67 is pivoted as at 68 and has a small lug orshoulder 69 projecting downwardly at its tip end so that when saidcutter lever is oscillated in a direction to sever the wire close to theinner end of bushing 63, the said lug 69 will prevent the wire frombeing snapped away from under the cutter lever. The rear end of thelever 67 is beveled as at 70 (see Fig. 5) said beveled end being engagedby a pin 71 which is actuated in one direction to raise the longer endof the lever 67, a spring 72 being employed to return said lever. Thepin 71 is teaser? carried by a lever 73 which ispivoted at 74- to anangle block 79 that is secured to block 64. Also secured to said angleblock is a stop finger 75 to limit the outward motion of the lever 73under the influence of the spring 72 causing the beveled end 70 of thelever to bear on pin 71; The lever 73 also carries at its upper end aroll 76 which is engaged so as to cause the lever 73 toactuate thecutter lever 67, by a cam projection 77 carried by a disk. 78 on a shaft34. The shaft 34 is revolved in a direction to carry the disk 78 in thedirection of the arrow shown in Fig. 5.

Rigidly secured to, or integral with the wall members 65, 66 of theblock 64 are two ered piece is bent into U-form and carriedinto theouter ends of the grooves 81, by a I bending pin 82 which constitutesthe outer end of an arm rigidly secured to a rock shaft 83 (see Fig. 5).Said rock shaft has also secured to it a bifurcated arm 84, the slot orrecess of said-arm being engaged by a pin 85 of a slide 86 mounted inways formed in a block 87, said block being secured to the block 64. Theother end of the slide 86 carries a roll 88 which engages a cam groove89 formed in one side of a disk 90 that is secured-to shaft 34 so thatas said shaft rotates, the bending pin 82 may be carried from theposition indicated in Fig. 12, to the position indicated in Fig. 13, andreturn. \Vhen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 13, the curvedportion of the wire is carried into a groove 130 in the end of thepusher or front former 91 which isrigidly secured to or integral with aslide 92 mounted to reciprocate in a suitable guide that is.

formed in one of the fixed blocks, the outer end of said slide 92 havinga roll 93, which engages'a cam groove 94 in the disk 78 carried by shaft34.

lVhen the wire is pushed by the feed vice through the bushing 63, and iscut off, the severed length is carried down behind two pins 95 whichrise from the upper faces of a bifurcated slide 96 (see Figs. 5 and 12).lVhen the wire is first out 01f the slide 96 is in its lower position,which lower position is somewhat exaggerated in- Fig. 5., and then thesaid slide .96 is elevated to carry the wire to the horizontal plane ofthe grooves 81 of'the cheek pieces 80. Said slide 96 is mounted in asuitable guide way that is in the block 64 and said slide is cut out asat 97 to receive crosspieces 98 that are secured to said block 64. Theinner faces of the two arms or members of the slide 96, near their upperends or tops, are

provided with opposing grooves 99 which are adapted to register with thegrooves 81 when'theslide '96 is inits uppermost position, the purpose ofsaid grooves being presv ently explained.

Car

The slide 96 is provided with a lateral pin 100 which is engaged by theslotted or. forked end of a lever -101'pivotally supported at 102 andhaving a roll 103 which is engaged by acam 1 projecting from the disk90. A spring 105 is suitably connected to the lever 101 and to somefixed point to return the lever to normal position after it has beenactuated by cam 104;.

After the cut piece of wire has been carried to the position shown inFig. 13, the timing of the parts of'ithe machine is such that thebending pin 82 next swings outivardl'y to a position so that its upperend is below the horizontal plane o-f'the grooves 81, this outer andlower position of the pin 82 being best indicated in Fig. The slide 92is then. actuated so that the pusher or .front former 91 acts upon theU-shaped piece-of wire to slide it along and out of the grooves 81 andinto the grooves '99 in the inner faces of the two arms of the ver'ticalslide 96, the ll-shaped piece of wire being thus transferred to theposition shown in Fig. 14, the two legs of the U passing throughadjacent rings or links and reachmg the ends of a curved horizontalgroove 131 formed in the front end of a back former 106 which, at thistimeyhas been advanced from the position shown Figs. 12 and 13- to theposition shown in Fig. '11. This back former 106 is carried by a slide107 (see Fig. 5) mounted in a guide way therefor in the upper end of arigidly mounted standard or-post 108. The rear end of the slide 107 isbeveled as'aft 109, and said slide 107 is normally held in the positionshown in Fig. '5 by a spring 110,- one end of which is connected to a pm111 carried by slide 107, the other. end being connected to a standardpin 112. A vertical slide 113 mounted in a' guideway in the post 108actuates the slide 107 by sliding contact with. the bevel end 109 ofthe, latter. The

slide 1131s actuated by a lever 111 (see Figs. 1; 5 and 6) said leverbeing'pivoted at 115 to a'suitable fulcrum bracket, the outer end ofsaid lever carrying an adjustableadjustment 116 in the path of a cam 117secured to shaft 35. The point to which the slide 107 and the backformer 106 may be advanced, is controlled by adjusting the height oftheabutment 116. A spring 118 is connected at one end to the verticalslide .113

; and at itslower end to a suitable fixed point, said spring's'erving toreturn the lever 114;

after it has been actuated by the earn 117.

During the movement of the parts from the position indicated in Fig. 13to-that indicated in Fig. 15, the opposite ends ofthe front former 91and back former 10.6 are brought nearly together, the space betweenformed links of the fabric.

said ends when in closest proximity being sufficient to accommodate theprevi sly The positions of the tips of the formers when almost meet ingis such as to impart little or no disturbance to the web of fabrichanging from the pin roll 41. As the parts move from the positionsindicated in Fig. 1 1 to those indirated in Fig. 15, the ends or legs ofthe U shaped piece of wire would protrude from the former 91 into theends of a groove 131 formed-in the end of the back former 100, saidgroove being curved so as to bring the link into ring form as clearlyindicated in Fig. 15. Preferably a center for'incr 119 is employed tooccupy the space between the front end of the back former 106 and therear surface of the adjacent previously formed rings of the fabric, saidcenter for.- mer having a curved rear face that is concentric with thegrooved recess in the end of theback former 106 and a flat front facewhich serves :as a bearing or abutment for that portion of the web towhich links are being added and especially to the two links throughwhich the U-shaped piece of wire is being inserted. This device causesthe two ends of the wire to meet accurately, thereby preventing anyliability of mal-forination of a ring or link. Said center former 119 isshown as a pin rising from the upper end of a vertical slide 120, (seeFigs. 5, 7 and 8). The slide 120 is mounted in a guide Way formed in-thepost 108, and is retained.

therein by face strips 121. The pin 119 is preferably constructed asseparate from the slide 120 and secured thereto by rivets or screws.Said slide carries also a tipping pin 122 which is offset laterally fromthe tip of in 119, and thepurpose of said pin 1-22 will be hereinafterdescribed.

The slide 120 is raised by alever (see Fi 7) which is pivotallysupported at 121 an has a roll 125 adapted to be actuated.

alternately by cams 126 and 127 carried by a disk 128 secured to shaft35. A spring 129 is connected at one end to the slide and at the otherend to a suitable fixed point to lower said slide after it has beenraised by the lever 123'.

The cam .126 is of such length as to hold the slide 120 raised duringthe entire time that the ring or link is being formed around theback ofthe center former pin 119. The

timing of the machine is such that after the work has been fed along aspresently described, the earn 127 gives a very short or quick action tothe lever 123 so as=to raise the slide 120 and cause the upper surfaceof the tipping pin 122 to tilt over to proper positionthe rin or linkthat has just been made if the withdrawal of the forming tools hasresulted in leaving the link tipped in the wrong direction as indicatedin 17. This is liable to occur sometimes and 1f the ring or link justformed has been left in the position indicated in Fig. 17, the operationof the pin 122, as it rises, will so tilt that ring or link that it willslide over to the correct position shown in Fig. 18. As shown in Fig. 8,the tipping pin 122'is'spaced far enough from the center former pin 119to not be in the way of the forming tools when the latter are performingthe. operations illustrated in Figs. 12 to 15 inclusive.

The mechanism for shifting the carriage along step by step, so that thesuccessively formed lin s or links will be interengaged with previousones as shown in Fig. 20, will now be described. Referring to Figs. 1,3, 4 and, 9, it will be seen that there is a box or casing 132 socuredto the carriage base 41, said casing 132 containing two vertical movablepawls 133 which are normally pressed downwardly by springs 134.Underneath the casing 132 is a pawl controlling slide 135 havin slots136 through which said pawls are adapted to act as presently described.The slide 135 isformed with ribs 137 which are recessed zit-"13S, oneside of each recess 138 being inclined to form'a cam 139. The pawls 133are provided with shoulders 140 adapted to contact withthe ribs 137 Aswill be readily understood, when a pawl has its shoulder on the higherportion offgthe rib 137 that I pawl will be elevated.

ie two recesses 138 v are at such relative distances from the end posehereinafter described.

of the slide 135 that when one pawl 133 has its shoulder in a recess138, and so is'permitted tobe depressed by its spring 134, the otherpawl is held in an inoperative position because of its shoulder restingon the higher portion of its rib 137. By simply shifting the" slide 135in the direction of its length, one pawl will be permitted to act andthe other will be raised by a cam 139 riding under the shoulder of thepawl that is to be put out of action. Preferably the slide 135 isprovided with a handle to enable it to be conveniently shifted manuallyfora pur- Such a handle is indicated at 172 in Fig. 9 partly brokenaway.

In the automatic operation of thema chine the slide 135 is shiftedautomatically and the teeth of the other bar face in the oppositedirection. Each ratchet bar 144 has a roll 145 at one end which isadapted to be acted upon by a cam 146, one cam being on the shaft 33 andthe other cam being on the shaft 35. Springs 147 effect return motionsof the ratchet bars. As these shafts not/e317 ciprocated simultaneouslyin opposite di rections, but since only one pawl 133 can be in lower oroperative position at a time, the pawl casing 132 and the worl; carriageto which it is attached, will be fed intermittently in one directionuntil something occurs to shiftthe pawls so that the one that has beenlowered will be raised and the other one will be lowered. As has beenmentioned this might be done by hand; but to effect an automaticshifting of the pawl control slide the shaft 32 is provided with twodisks'148, 149, (see Fig. 1,) the disk 148 having a cam lug 150, and thedisk 149 hav ing a cam lug 151. One of these cam lugs is so carried byits disk as to contact with the outer face of the lug 141 so as to pushthe slide inwardly, the cam lug of the other disk on the shaft 32 beingso positioned as to contact with the inner surface of the lug- 142 topull the slide outwardly so as to reverse the operation of the carriagefeed pawls. As shown in Fig. 1, the disks 148, 149 are so spaced on theshaft 32 that their cam lugs can only perform the operations justdescribed at the ends of the travel of the carriage 41 on the-slide 40.It is to be understood that the teeth of the ratchet bars are-of suchwidth as to effect, by the mech anism just described, an intermittentfeed of the carriage a distance substantially equal to the diameter ofeach ring or link being formed. Of course when a reverse of the drive ofthe carriage occurs, the pin roll must be given aslight partial rotationto raise the row of links that have just been completed a distancesubstantially equal to one-half the diameter of the rings or links. Toprevent overthrow of the pin roll during its movement to feed the web offabric upwardly a suitable brake or friction device should be employed.In Fig. 1 we have illustrated screws 152 so mounted in the brackets 42that their lower ends may contact with the shaft 43 or with frictionblocks set in the bottoms of the screw holes. The means for impartingthe intermittent feed rotation to the shaft 43 and its pin roll 44 willnow be described.

Secured to the shaft 43 are two disks having ratchet toothed peripheries153. Mount ed to reciprocate slightly in each of the brackets 42 is apush pin 154 preferably having an adjustable outer end; in other words,the pins 154 may be varied in length as by a screw and lock. nut carriedby .the outer end; It is to be understood at this point that the shaft43 is capable of having imparted thereto a slight movement in thedirection of axis of said shaft, for a purpose hereinafter described.Such endwise movement of the shaft 43 is executed by levers 155 pivotedat 156 and having their outer ends in position to act upon one or theother eas er 1 e s1i gl1tly. "l he levers 155 are actuated by cam lugs157 carried by disks 158 secured to shaft 32.'-These cam disks 158 ,areso spaced [relativelyito each other that one or the other will act upona lever .155 to oscillate the leyer'on its pivot 156 at the end of the Ireciprocation of the work carriage in a man- I f ner that will he morefully-describedpueS- ently. V To cause the intermittent step rotation oftal? the, shaft-'13 and the pin roll 44 twopawls 15.9 are carriedbyslides 160 which are mounted in bearings'lfil, see Figs. 1 and 2.

The rear ends of the slides are beveled as indicated by the dotted linesin Fig. 1, said beveled rear ends beinglocated so that lugs 162 carriedby the cam disks 146 may act upon the slides 160 to move them onedirection, the return direction being obtained by means oat springs16?). The lugs 162 may "be, as indicated, simply hardened steel somewssecured in position by check nuts.

Since th'e'disks 146 are constantly revolving, each rotation will causeboth slides 160 to be reciprocated. Consequently the two pawls 159 arereciprocatedbnce e-r each rotation of the shatts. But such,reciprocations of the two pawls effect nothing until one or the otherof the ratchet-s 153 reaches a position to .he engaged by a pawl 159. Asthe WOIk carriage travels along and the links are 'being formed andinterenga-ged in the manner described, said carriage finally reaches .aposition where its direction of trayel is to'be reversed. The timing ofthe operation of the different parts [of the machine is such that afterthe wcompletion of a link at 0116 end of a now the pin roll is actuatedso as to shift the Web Ofillfl-bl'lC a rance equal to one-halhthe linkdiameter before'another link is formed, and also before another link isformed a lever 155 is actuated so as to shift the shaft 43 and pin roll44 length-wise'a distance equal to onehalf a link diameter, in -.amanner that would be readily understood by means of F lg. 20 of thedrawing. At each endof the pin roll 44, as shown in Fig. {1, the \shaiit43 is en-' circled by a collar 164C rising {from a plate 165 thatis-mounted on the carriage base 41 as best shown in Fig. 4 The plateit?) is formedwuith transuerse slots through which screws ---1 -66 passinto said base 41. The screws .156 2(10 not'bind the plate 165 in placebut pcrmit said plate to slide when the pin roll is shifted (onedirection or the other by -ithe earns which act upon the levers 155.Tothe front portions of thei'c'ollars 164 (see Fi 2 are secured strips16;? which in turn adglustably support light wire uprightsJlGS j cs (seegFig. :Said uprights 168 constitute Said uprights or guides serve tohold the marginal rings .or links as they are formed and azfiter theyare tormed'long enough to keep them in position for theinterlocking ofthe next rings or links. By reference to Fig. -20 it will be readilyunderstood that which are free at their upper ends.

if the guides .or uprights 168 were. omitted pended zfromflthesaid pinroll, and this we believe to *Fbefiie most desirable mechanicalarrangement; thoughthe parts would W- ate vshould the machine beinclined, .orthe parts disposed .so that the portion of Web between itsfree edge and the pin noller is approximately horizontal instead ofvertiea In such latter arrangement there would have to be provision madefor maintaining the part of the web adjacent'to its free edge in asubstantially fiat condition,

and such means are provided by the guides In Fig. 20 a link is shown asnot being dropped to proper position. This is liable to occur with thellIiikS of alternate rows. It maybe stated here, that the links slantingin one direction seldom fail to fall to proper position, but links ofthe alternating rows are liable to occupy the wrong inclination afterthey are lezfit by the forming tools. In Fig. 20 it is to be supposedthat the web of fabric is traveling in the direction of the arrow, andtherefore it moves in such direction that the upper edge of an inclinedstrip 169 (see Fig. 2) will be presented in such position that animproperly tilted link will ride along on and be guided upwardly by thestrip 169 so that as it passes over the tip of said strip it will fallto :the position represented by the other links of the lower row.

When the web is traveling in the direction oft friction .Inaterial .171inserted between the inner. end of said screw ,and theside face of theslide 40, so as to cause suflicient friction to prevent any possibilityof retrograde motion of the carriage after it has been advancedeach stepby the Ratchet bar and pawl mechanism hcl'einhefore described.

or shortened, as the case maybe, in

lower row, the machine can be instantly stopped by throwing off thepower and then the carriage can be shifted to the exact position neededby manipulation of the pawl control slide and then sliding the carriagealong to the proper point. Then a single operation of the machine bymeans of the crankhandle 38 willsupply a complete ring in the placeneeded, after which the carriage.

can be returned to the position where it stopped, andautomatic'operation resumed.

The machine is capable-of making various widths of mesh'fabric, since itis inflat form. To enable this to be done, as well as to enable theparts to be set for accurate op-- eration, it is necessary to adjust thecam disks 148, 149, and cam disks 158 along the shaft 32; also theratchets 153 on the shaft 43. When the latter are adjusted lengthwise,thepush pins 154 are lengthened out manner hereinbefore described.

. We claim: r

1. In a machine of the character described,

a support for a substantially flat web of link mesh fabric, means forfeeding and cutting scribed, a' support for a substantially fiatthe wireand subsequently forming links of the cut portions andconnecting them tomeshes of the fabric, and means for automatically shifting the'webrelatively to the point of formation of the links.

2. In a machine of the character described, a supportfor a substantiallyflat vertically disposed web of link mesh fabric, means for formingindependent links and connecting them to the lower edge of the fabric,means for causing relative movement of the forming means and the fabricsupport, and

means for reversing the direction of relative movement.

3. In a machine of the character described, link forming tools, acarrier for a flat vertically disposed web of link mesh fabric movabletransversely of the link forming tools, means for moving said carrierstep by step a distance equal to the diameter of the-links, and meansfor actuating the carrier at the end of a row of links a distance equalto one-half of the diameter of a link.

4. Ina machine of the character described, a support for a fiat web oflink mesh fabric, means for successively connecting links to the edge ofthe fabric, means for causing relative movement of the said support andlink-applying means step by step a distance equal to the diameter of alink, and means for causing a relative movethea link, and means fof''shifting the web a fabric, means for successively connecting links tothe edge of the fabric, means for causing relative movement of the saidsupport and link-applying means step by step a distance equal to thediameter of a link, means. for moving the support transversely of thefabri'c a distance equal to half the diameter of a link afterthe lastlink of each row has been applied, and means for movingthe support toadvance the fabric in the direction, of its length after each row oflinks has been applied.

6. In a machine of the character described, link forming tools, acarrier for a flat vertically disposed web of link mesh fabric movabletransversely of the link forming tools, means for moving said carrier'stepby-step a. distance equal to the di-' ameter of th'elinks, means foractuating the carrier atthe end of a row of links a lateral distanceequal to one-half the'diaineter of distance equal to one-halfthediameter of a link in the direction ofthe length of the web. 4

7. In a machine-of .the character de f;

means for reversing the direction of progress'ofE-the work.

8. In a machine for forming ring or link mesh fabric, the combinationofmeans for supporting a fiat web of the fabric, and from which a free endof the fabric extends, means for connecting links to the free edge ofthe fabric, and means for causing relative movement of the link-applyingmeans and fabric-supporting means to cause the links to be successivelyadded and the fabric produced. 1

9. In a machine for forming link or ring mesh fabric, the'c'ombinationof'a support for a flat Web of link mesh fabric, from which afree endofthe fabric extends, means for forminglinks and connecting them to thefree edge of the fabric that extends from the support, and means. forcausing relative movement of the link-forming meansand fabric support tocause the links to be successively added and the fabric produced.

1.0. In a machine for forming link mesh fabric, the combination of asupport for a flat web of fabric from which a free end thereof extends,guides with which the marginal portions of the free end of the fabricengage, means for applying links the free 3 edge of thefabric, and meansfor movinw the support to take ,u the fabric as forme ."Z

llillin a machine or? formingv mesh fabric, the combination of i Supportfor a flat web of the'fabric from which a free end thereof-extends,guides with which the mar- I the free end of t-hefabric 'O.f thefabricto embttaflesaid guides;

:12. In a machine of the characterQdc-j ri e a pp r for a su stant ay-flat vertically disposed weboflink mesh fabric;

-. means for formingjlinks having abutting eudsand connecting them tothe fabric, and

means for, reversing the direction of prog 1 rcss'of the work, saidmachine having adjustable parts to, vary thewidth" of the web,

13. In -a machine of the character (file;-

" scribed, the combina f P substantially fiatweb of link mesh-fabric,means for appl ing links to the edge of'the- ,fabric "being ormed, meansfor causing relative transverse movement. between the link-applying andfabric-supporting means whereby the links are successively applied inrows, and means for reversing thedirection of movement, the saidreversing mech- 'anism being adjustable, whereby the width of the web offabric produced may be varied. v,

14.111 a machine of theicharacter described, the combination ofasupportfor a substantially flat web of -link mesh, fabric,

means for forming links and connecting them to the'fabric, means forcausing a step by step transverse relative movement.,be-- tween thefabric support and. the link forming and applying means, means forreversing the direction ofsaid move ments after the link at the end ofeach row hasv becnformed, the said reversing means beingadjustable tovary the width of the fabric, and means for moving the support' toadvance thefabric as rows of links" are added thereto. 1

15. In a machine of the character described, a .support for asubstantially fiat vertically disposed web of link mesh fabric,

link forming tools, and means for actuat .ing said support to shift thefabric, in a zigzag path during the progress of the work.

- '16. In a machine of the character de-,

scribed, a support for a substantially, flat vertically disposed Web oflink mesh fabric, forming tools, means for, automatically shifting thesupport .to control the progress 'of the work, and meanswhereby thefabric carrying mechanism be, shifted manually toenable a linkto befarmed applied in a selected port on of the fabric.

17. a machine of the character described, the-combination of a supportfor linkmesh fabric, means for applying'links to the edge thereof, meansfor automatically causing relative movement between the said support andlink-applying means tocontrol the progress of the work, and means for'throwing the said automatic means out of operation, whereby the partsare left free to be moved by hand to permit a single link to be appliedin any selected portion of the I fabric.

' .1 I a a h n f th c a a t t scribed, a suppOIttfor "link mesh fabric,,

freelympyable in the direction. of the length of the fabric andtransversely thereto, means for applying links to the edge of thefabric, meafis for automatically moving the said fabric support and thelink applying means relative to each other to control the progress ofthe work, and means for throwinq the said automatic means out ofoperation "cavin the partsfree to be moved by hand to shiftthefabric-laterally and longitudinally with reference to the link-applyingmeans, llwhereby the fabric-may be adjusted by hand and-a link appliedto any selected portion of the-fabric. 7 19,. In a machine of thecharacter 'de scribed, the combination of a cylindrical suport -for afiat web of link mesh fabric, tools or forming and applying linkssuccessively to the edge of the fabric, automaticallyoperated means forshifting the support with a step by step movementto cause the links ofeach row to be successively added,

and for advancing the fabric when each row of links hasbeen completed,means for reversing the direction of movement after the last link ofeach row has been'form'ed and-applied, and means for throwing out ofoperation'the said automatic shifting devices, leaving the support freeto be moved by -,hand,-whereby the fabric may be adjusted with referenceto the link forming and applying means to enable a link to be formed andapplied in any selected por-' t-ion ofthe fabric.

29. In a machine for forming link or ringmesh fabric, a support for thefinished fabric mounted so as to be free to be moved by hand-both in thedirection of the length of the fabric and also transversely thereof,means for forming links and adding them to the fabric, and automaticpower-driven means for shiftingfthe support to control the progress ofthe work and to operate the link forming means, the said shifting meansbeing disconnectible atpleasurc to permit the fabric support to be freeto be moved manually and the link-forming and adding means hand driven,whereby a linkmay be formed and applied to any selected portion of thefabric.

21. In a machine of the character described, a pin roller for supportingthe link mesh fabric, link forming tools arranged upon opposite sides ofthat portion of the free end of the fabric extending from the pinroller, means for reciprocating saidpin roller, and means forautomatically imparting intermittent rotation to said pin roller.

22. In a machine of the character described, a support for asubstantially fiat vertically-disposed web of link mesh fabric, linkforming tools, and edge guides for the side marginal links being formed.

23. In a machine of the character de scribed, a support for asubstantially fiat web of link mesh fabric, link forming tools, and edgeguides for the marginal links being formed, said edge guides comprisingwires having free ends to permit the links to be drawn therefrom duringprogress of the Work.

24. A machine of the character described including in its constructionfour shafts mounted in relative rectangular arrangement and havingintermeshing bevel pinions, link forming tools within the rectangle, asupport for a substantially flat web of link mesh fabric also within therectangle, and means controlled by said shafts for actuating the saidtools and shifting the said support.

25. A machine of the character described,

comprising a rotary support having pins for enga in the links of fabricmeans for.

shifting said pin-roll in the direction of its axis and also rotatively, andlink-forming tools arranged upon opposite sides of the freeend of the fabric extending from the saidrotary support, for shapinglinks and interengaging them with previously formed links.

26. A machine of the character described comprising a rotatively mountedroll having pins to engage the links of the fabric, and from which afree end of the fabric extends, means for feeding and cutting offlengths of wire, tools for forming links from the cut-off pieces of Wireand applying them to the said free 'endof the fabric, means for shiftingthe said roll in the direction of its axis, and means for intermittentlyrotating said roll.

27. A machine of the character described, comprising a support for asubstantially flat web of link-mesh fabric, means for automaticallyshifting the web, means for feed- ,ing and severing a length of wire, alaterally movable bending pin for engaging and imparting a U-shape tothe severed length of wire, and front and rear formers for convertingthe wire to circular form,'said bending pin being movable to a planebelow the plane of operation of said formers.

28. Amachine of the character described, casnrising a support for asubstantiahy fiat web of link mesh fabric, means for automaticallyshifting the web, formers movable toward and from each other on oppositesides of the plane of the web, a laterally movable pin for engaging andbending a piece of wire, means for shifting said pin to a position belowthe plane of operation of the formers, and means for feeding-andsevering a length of wire.

2-9. A machine of the character described comprising a support for asubstantially flat Web of link mesh fabric, means for shifting thesupport laterally, front and rear formers having recessed and groovedcooperating ends, a laterally movable pin for engaging and bending alength of wire toward one former, means for withdrawing said pin fromoperating position, and means for then bringing the two formers togetherto complete the shaping of the link.

30. In a machine for forming link mesh fabric, front and rearcooperating formers, means for engaging and shaping a length of wire inoneof said formers, and a separate center former supporting the ends ofthe wire from'the inside of the link as said ends are being closedtogether.

31. In a machine for forming link mesh fabric, front and rearcotiperating formers, means for engaging and shaping a length of wire inone of said formers, and a center former supporting the ends of the wirefrom the inside of the link as said ends are being closed together, andmeans for removing said center former after the link has been formed.

32. In a machine of the character described, a support for a web of linkmesh fabric, means for delivering pieces of wire from which links are tobe formed, a bending pin, means for'mcving the pin to cause it to bendthe wire, shaping members past which the pin carries the wire andcooperating therewith to cause the wire to be bent into U-shape as thepin is moved, means for withdrawing the pin, and tools for applying theU-shaped piece of wire to the fabric and completing the shaping thereofinto a link.

33. 'A machine for forming link mesh fabric comprising front and rearformers having recessed and grooved cobperating ends, a laterallymovable pin for engaging,

bending and shaping a length of wire in one former, a center formingpin, and means for actuating said front and rear formers to bend thewire and form the link around said latter pin.

34:. A machine of the character described comprising a support for asubstantially mat web of link mesh fabric,imeans for shifting thesupport laterally, front and rear formers having recessed and groovedcooperating ends, means for bending and from each other,

' scram? haping a length of ire in ne f mer, a center forming pin, andmeans for actuating said front and rear formers to bend the wireand formthe link around said pin.

35.. In a machine of the character described, reciprocating wireformers, means {for feeding a length of wire to said formers andsevering the same, a laterally movable bending pin, for imparting a lt-shape to the severed length of wire, a center forming pin, andmeanswhereby said reciprocatingformwill head said wire length from theU- shape into a circular form around said forming pin. v

36. in a machine of the character described, reciprocating wire formers,means for feeding a length of wire to said formers, means for severingthe wire when fed, means for bending the wire into a ill-shape in one ofsaid formers, a center forming pin, means for passing said Ll-shape wirethrough a plurality of adjacent links in the fabric and bending the sameinto a circle around said forming pin, and means for withdrawing saidformmgpin when the link is formed.

37. In a machine of the character described, a support for a web of linkmesh fabric, means for delivering U-shaped pieces of wire tolinlcforniing tools, a center forming pin, tools for passing a U-shapedwire through adjacent links of the fabric and bending it into a linkabout the said form ing pin, and means for withdrawing the said-pinafter-the link has been formed.

' 38, A machine of the character described comprising a support for asubstantially flat web of link mesh fabric, means for shifting thesupport laterally, front and rear formers having recessed and grooved;cotiperating ends, a laterally movable pini for bending a length of wiretoward one? former, means for withdrawing said pin; out of operativeposition, a center formeri movable to and from position between thegfront and rear formers, and means for actu- E ating the front and rearformers toward and 39. A machine of the character described comprising asupport for a substantially fiat web of link mesh fabric, means forshifting the support laterally, front and rear formers having recessedand grooved cooperating ends, a laterally movable pin for bending alength. of wire toward one former into a U-shape, means for shiftingsaid pin out of operativepositiom an inter- .mediate guide forcontrolling the path of movement of the'U-shaped loop through theadjacent links of the fabric and into the rear former, and means foractuating said formers to finish bending the loop into a circle.

40. In a machine of the character described, a support for a web of linesh fabric, means for delivering U-shaped pieces of wlre, tools forforming links from the said pieces of wire situated respectively onopposite sides of the fabric, means for bringing the tools together toform the links, and a guide for controlling the path of movement of theU-shaped piece of. the wire and causing its legs to be passed throughadjacent links of the fabric.

al. In a machine of the character described, a support for a web oflinlcmesh fabric, means for delivering pieces-of wire from which linksare successively formed, means for bending the pieces of wire into U-.shape, tools for forming the U-shaped pieces of Wire and causing theends thereof to be passed through links of the fabric to which they areto be united, and means for moving the said guide, arranged to cause itto be withdrawn while the shaping of the wire into U-form is takingplace, and then brought into guiding position.

42. A machine of the character described comprising a support for asubstantially flat Web of link mesh fabric, means for shifting thesupport laterally, front and rear formers having recessed and groovedcoiiper ating ends, a laterally movable pin for bending alength of wiretoward one former into a U-shape, means for shifting said pin out ofposition, an intermediate guide for controlling the path'of movement ofthe U- shaped loop through the adjacent links of the fabric and into therear former, means for actuating said formers to finish bending the loopinto a circle, and means for with drawing said guide while the wire isbeing bent into the first loop form.

43. A machine of the character describ d, a support for a web of linkmesh fabric, link forming tools, means for causing arelative movement ofthe tools and support during the progress of the work, and tippingdevices arranged respectively on opposite sides of the web of fabric toposition misplaced links to properly receive t-other links that are tobe interengaged therewith.

as. In a machine of the character described, a support for asubstantially flat web of link mesh fabric, a carriage on which saidsupport is mounted, ratchet bars having means for reciprocating pawlscarried by said carriage and engaging said: ratchet bars, and means forcontrolling said pawls to permit but one of them at a time to act. 4

4,5. In a machine of the character described, a support for asubstantially flat web of link mesh fabric, a carriage on which saidsupport is mounted, ratchet bars having means for reciprocating them,pawls.

carried by said carriage and engaging said ratchet bars, and means forcontrolling said them,

pawls to permit-but one of them at a time to act, said means comprisinga slide having v cam surfaces to engage portions of the pawls to shiftthem alternately out of 0perativc position.

4:6. In a machine'of the character defabric from which extends a freeunsupported end of the fabric, tools for successively forming andapplying to the fabric links, an abutment which lies behind the links ofthe fabric to which anew link is being added, and means for moving theabutment out of the way after the link has been completed.

48. In a machine of the character described, the combination of asupport for a web of link mesh fabric, tools for successively formingand applying links to the fabric, a movable pin having one face curvedto constitute a former about which the link is finally shaped, andanother face constituting an abutment for those links of: the fabric towhich the new link is being.

added, and means for moving the said'pin to noperative position when almk is to be formed and removing it after the link has been completed.

49. In a machine of the character described, a support for a web of linkmesh fabric from which extends a free unsup-- ported end of the fabric,a movable pin having one face curved to constitute a former' about whichthe link is finally shaped, and another face constituting an abutmentfor the links of the fabric to which the new link is being added, andmeans for moving the 'said pin into operative position when a link is tobe formed and removing it after the link has been completed.

50. In a machine of the character described, the combination of asupport for a web of a link mesh fabric, tools for successively applyinglinks to the edge of said LOT/8,31?

fabric, a pin about which the links are finally shaped, a movable slidewhich carries the said shaping pin, a device for tipping a misplacedlink into proper position to receive another link, also carried by thesaid slide, and a cam device for operating the slide, arranged to moveit to cause the shaping pin to be carried into position and theremaintained while a link is being added to the fabric, and to then moveit away from said position, and thereafter impart to the slide a quickmovement to cause the tilting device to operate.

51. In a machine of the character described, a support for asubstantially flat web of linkmesh fabric, a carriage on which saidsupport is mounted, ratchet bars having means for reciprocating them,pawls carried by said carriage and engaging said ratchet bars, and meansfor controlling said pawls to permit but one of them at a time to act,said means comprising a slide having cam surfaces to engage portions ofthe pawls toshift them alternately out of operative position, and meansfor automatically operating said slide.

52. In a machine of the character described, a carriage, means forreciprocating said carriage, a shafthaving a roll for supporting thefabric, said shaft having ratchets, paWls adapted to actuate saidratchets, said pawls being spaced a distance greater than the distancebetween said ratchets whereby, as the carriage reciprocates, first oneratchet and then the other will be brought to position to be actuated bya pawl, and means for actuating said pawls.

53. In a machine of the character described, a support for a link meshfabric, link forming tools, said support being movable laterallyrelatively to said tools, and an inclined strip adapted to be engaged bya misplaced link to turn the latter to proper position.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

Witnesses 2 HOWARD E. BARLoW,

it. I. QGDEN.

